Elder Neglect

The failure by a caregiver, whether a family member or a paid or institutional caregiver, to provide an older adult with the food, water, shelter, medical care, hygiene or supervision the older adult needs, distinguished from elder abuse in that neglect is an omission rather than an affirmative act of harm, though the two are frequently documented together and addressed under the same adult-protective-services statutes in many jurisdictions. Recognized forms include passive neglect, resulting from a caregiver's inability or lack of knowledge rather than intent, and willful or active neglect, in which a caregiver knowingly withholds needed care, and self-neglect, in which an older adult is unable to meet their own basic needs, is also tracked by adult protective services agencies as a related but distinct category.